Video: Brazilian police deploy 'RoboCop' glasses

High-tech facial recognition glasses can scan up to 400 faces and match against database of criminals

By PoliceOne Staff

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - In advance of the 2014 World Cup, Brazilian police have debuted new high-tech facial recognition glasses that can scan up to 400 faces per second and match against a database of criminals and terrorists.

It sounds like science fiction - and specifically calls to mind technology from the movie 'RoboCop' - but the glasses are a very real bid to identify hooligans and troublemakers among large crowds.

The camera can identify 46,000 biometric points on a person's face at a distance of roughly 165 feet, though it can be used at distances as great as 12 miles. When a match is detected, a red light will light up on the screen attached to the glasses.

The technology is the same facial recognition software as can be found in high-end consumer digital cameras, though more advanced.

Officials say the device will be tested at soccer games and other public events in advance of the World Cup.